Title: Stilettos & Boots
Author: Kristal Dawn Harris
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Book Blurb:
Delaney Stevens leaves New York City and returns to her parent's cabin in Eastern, Kentucky, after an embarrassing, bitter divorce. She is content to focus on her career and emotional healing when an unexpected confrontation with a sexy coal miner leaves her breathless. Warning bells sound in her mind, even as her heart turns over in her chest. Is it too soon to take a chance on new love? Can a man who rescues kittens be so bad? Julian Adams has nothing for a spoiled, city woman who hasn't bothered to visit her family in years. After finishing a double shift at the mines, an explosive encounter with a red-headed beauty leads to a monumental declaration. He will marry Delaney Stevens within one year! He's determined to have her, but also to show her all men aren't like her ex-husband. One night changes everything when Delaney arrives at his birthday party full of sass and ready to go to battle. In wild Eastern, Kentucky, sassy city clashes with sexy country in this second chance romance. If you love contemporary, country romance full of witty banter, hot scenes, and a happily-ever-after ending, don't miss STILETTOS & BOOTS!
Excerpt:
The vision that stomped around the corner of the cabin was not exactly what he expected. Bright, auburn hair sat in a messy bun on top of her head. Frizzy, kinked pieces surrounded a heart-shaped face. Vibrant green eyes, the color of spring grass, looked like they were ready to shoot fire. Full lips narrowed into an angry thin line, and a bright red blush covered her cheeks in splotches. The over-sized, black shirt bagged off what he could see of a nice body. Jean shorts, cutoff at mid-thigh in uneven angles, caused her legs to appear thin and long. Bare feet, now coated in mud, braced shoulder width as she raised a shotgun directly toward him.
The smirk he wore quickly vanished and irritation caused his jaw to tick. “Do you even know how to fire that thing?”
The woman’s eyes narrowed to thin slits. Her melodious voice slid over his skin, completely at odds with the threatening stance she took. “I assure you I know how to shoot.”
“Well, I’ll make an easy target considering I’m stuck in the mud.” He glanced at his feet, and to the woman threatening him. “Could you get the shovel out of the back of my truck, so I can dig myself out?”
“No. You got yourself in that mess, so I’m sure you can get yourself out then get off my property before I call the police.”
Julian rolled his head back and forth on his shoulders in frustration. If he could get out of the mud, that’s exactly what he would do. His feet sank a little deeper with every slight movement. He tilted his head when the woman cocked the gun. He knew for a fact that shotgun hadn’t been fired since this woman’s father passed away, and he would bet money she didn’t know how to load it. “Look at my feet lady. I’m stuck. Your brother asked me to clean this mess behind your house before you arrived, but I ended up working a double shift. Just get my shovel, I’ll dig myself out, and be on my way.”
The woman raised her chin a little. Julian swallowed hard when her green eyes shot daggers and her finger twitched slightly on the trigger. He lifted his chin and narrowed his eyes. Maybe it was his mood, or maybe it was something else, but he couldn’t help provoking her just to see what she would do. “You better not shoot that gun woman. I bet you couldn’t hit the side of a barn anyway.”
He rolled his eyes to the sky to dismiss her just as globs of mud smacked him in the side of the head. The bullet hit the mountain twenty feet from where he stood. Birds squawked and flew out of the trees in a mass exodus. Startled half out of his tired mind, he literally leaped out of his sunk-in-the-mud boots, landing flat on his back in a patch of sharp briars.
“Next time, I won’t deliberately miss,” she shouted.
He glared into the sky as every profanity known to man angrily tumbled from his mouth. After unsuccessfully trying to roll over, because of the briars poking into his back, he finally relented and turned his face to her. Julian gritted out frustrated words while clenching his teeth so hard his jaw ached. “If you fire that gun one more time lady, I swear when I catch you, and I will, I’m going to dump your ass, with that gun, in the creek.”
The woman blanched, pivoted on her heel, and bolted around the side of the house, dropping the gun in the process. He jerked to the side when the shotgun fired again, the bullet hitting the bank on the other side of the creek. The short fuse attached to his anger incinerated to nothing in a split second, and his temper exploded. He picked up a stick and hurled it at the house as his own choice words filled the air.
He stayed where he lay in the briar patch, occasionally moaning in pain, until he heard soft meowing above his head. Angling his body and wincing every time a new briar stuck in his flesh, he spied a nest of newborn kittens under a bush. He waited for the mother cat to make an appearance, but realized he probably scared her off with the chainsaw.
With one arm, Julian reached above his head, scooped a butterscotch kitten into his palm, and deposited it onto his chest. Five kittens later, Julian sighed at the mess one woman created he didn’t even know. Kittens burrowed in his chest with their tiny claws, meowing because they were probably hungry and scared, while briars poked into his back, and mud dried on his legs and cheek. One big hand slid over his coal-dust-covered face, and his eyes closed on a deep sigh. When would he ever learn to listen to his instincts? He should’ve gone home and went to bed.
Buy Links (including Goodreads and BookBub):
What makes your featured book a must-read?
I live in a rural area, spent my summers here, and my father lived here, so I modeled the book after what I knew. The hero is a coal miner. All my uncles and male cousins were coal miners. The heroine never forgot her country roots even if she didn’t want to return home. The women in my family were as tough as they come and extremely hard workers. Stilettos & Boots is a nod to them, the past, the lifestyle, and the things that made me laugh. I’ve seen my own aunt go after my husband with a broom (playfully), and the men come home from work covered in black coal dust. I watched my aunts and grandmother work in a garden all day long. There are many treasured memories that I put into this book. It’s a different life, but one I wouldn’t trade for anything. Family and love are important, and that’s why you should read Stilettos & Boots. It’s a steamy read, so be forewarned. Lol
Giveaway –
Enter to win a $40 Amazon US or Amazon Canada gift card
Open Internationally. You must have an active Amazon US or CA account to win.
Runs April 19 – April 28, 2022.
Winner will be drawn on April 29, 2022.
Author Biography:
Kristal Dawn Harris is a multiple award-winning, RONE nominated, American romance author. She has been married for 30 years and has two children. Kristal finished a degree from Miami University in Accounting Technology, but quickly realized she preferred words over numbers. She is an avid reader and, in particular, loves darker paranormal romance. Her hobbies include coin collecting, physical fitness, stained-glass art (beginner), poetry, and song writing. Kristal writes paranormal, erotic, fantasy, as well as contemporary romance in different lengths.
Social Media Links: